Doherty v. Penders

[dcpony]

I'd be happy with what Penders is doing at UH. Read below, the Coogs are going to ax Penders if UH doesn't make the tournament this year. SMU on the other hand, will give Doherty a contract extension if he gets to the NIT or CBI. Pathetic...

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Houston Chronicle
Pressure's on Penders for tourney appearance
With attendance sagging and demands for an NCAA Tournament bid rising, Penders needs breakthrough season
By STEVE CAMPBELL
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 17, 2009, 7:07AM

At 64, Tom Penders has the charge of getting the Cougars into the NCAA Tournament or catching nothing but grief from a restless fan base.

Tom Penders could see his coaching life flashing before his eyes.

Penders was in the last year of a contract, coming off two seasons somewhere between disheartening and demoralizing.

He painted houses, tended bar and worked as a camp counselor on the side to supplement the income he commanded coaching the Columbia Lions.

“That's pressure,” Tom Penders said.

Time and 629 career victories have given Penders a sanguine outlook. His 36th season as a college head coach — and sixth with the Houston Cougars — begins tonight at Hofheinz Pavilion against the Nicholls State Colonels (0-1).

Penders, 64, has the charge of getting the Cougars into the NCAA Tournament or catching nothing but grief from a restless fan base. He insists that charge is the kind of challenge he has embraced throughout a career built on reviving dormant or decaying programs. Monday, Penders made a series of campaign stops in UH classrooms to urge students to come out and watch the 2009-10 team.[url]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/spo ... 24167.html[/url]

[PonyDoh]

Penders should have been gone two years ago. He basically has no shot of coming back. They are getting killed for missing on Pastner

[dcpony]

I agree with you. But at least the Coogs are making the postseason. I expected more from SMU basketball after 4 years of Doherty at the helm. Doherty can't recruit TX and he can't recruit the East Coast after he alienated his players at UNC. And whatever players he does get from the states they're leftovers from the elite prep schools on the East Coast, no difference makers at all. The guy can't recruit any decent players from his backyard.

Doherty needs to go if he can't get SMU to an NIT or CBI berth. Pastner and Memphis along with UT, A&M and other teams from the major conferences have the Houston recruits locked down, if not the entire state of TX. UT, TT, OSU OU and Baylor are already punking Doherty for North Texas recruits.

[PonyDoh]

I agree with you. But at least the Coogs are making the postseason. I expected more from SMU basketball after 4 years of Doherty at the helm. Doherty can't recruit TX and he can't recruit the East Coast after he alienated his players at UNC. And whatever players he does get from the states they're leftovers from the elite prep schools on the East Coast, no difference makers at all. The guy can't recruit any decent players from his backyard.

Doherty needs to go if he can't get SMU to an NIT or CBI berth. Pastner and Memphis along with UT, A&M and other teams from the major conferences have the Houston recruits locked down, if not the entire state of TX. UT, TT, OSU OU and Baylor are already punking Doherty for North Texas recruits.

You were better off before you started talking recruiting. We just scored one of the best 3 recruits in Houston for '10 in Leslee Smith. Patsevich would have been a national top 100 kid, had he played prep in this country. He would have been one of the best shooters in the '09 class. We turned away several DFW locals this year, as well as the 2nd best player in Arkansas this past cycle, mostly b/c they weren't good enough. Hell, our other Euro is the best player on a team in the New England prep league, the best prep league in the country.

This team needs a true PG and some impact in the front court. All of that is on tap for the '10 class. I'd like to see more success now, but this team was gutted for a complete overhaul, w/the approval of the mob boss. We don't even have a full compliment of Doh players, until next season.

[dcpony]

I'm happy that SMU got Smith but he wasn't that heavily recruited by teams from the major conferences. I agree with you that we need a PG. Teams that make it to the tournament and have success usually dominant backcourts. I don't see Doh getting those stellar PG and SG recruits.

[Hoop Fan]

PonyDoh, are you saying that Doh is re-gutting the roster again now, or that he had to do that 3 years ago and this is the result? I'm afraid, its a bit of the former as much as the latter. I almost see this as a new rebuild project starting now. Doh wiffed on the first rebuild. The reason I say that is I now don't see much hope for this season or next year. Papa has not regained any promise, that looks clear. We still don't know much about Haynes or Nyakundi which is scary. Clinkscales looks really uncomfortable so far, same with Harp even after 50 plus starts. McCoy is not on the same trajectory i saw in him on last year. Williams and Faye are gone after this year. That has me thinking about 2011-12 already. McCoy, Haynes and Nyakundi will be seniors, and the good class we just signed will be sophomores. Can't expect much out of them as freshman and the current class of Luttman and Clink look like role players at the moment. In this Dohs fourth year, it should at least be crystalizing as to when we can expect to make a postseason run. Its not even in sight yet.

[FriscoPMG]

And June isn't doing Doh any favors by turning the football program around in 2 years! Not sure if this will get any attention or not, but if JJ actually gets the football team into the conference championship in year 2 while Doh is just striving for a winning record in year 4, surely that won't help his cause when it comes time for an extension.